Journalists face criminal charges for reporting on officials, religion, and protests: NLU study
A study co-authored by NLU, Delhi, revealed that reporting on public officials, religious matters, and protests are the top three reasons journalists in India face criminal charges. The report, "Pressing charges," analyzed 423 cases against 427 journalists from 2012-2022, finding that 40% were arrested. Journalists from smaller towns and those reporting in regional languages were most impacted, often without national media attention. Common charges included public tranquility offenses, criminal intimidation, defamation, and offenses against public servants and religion. This trend raises serious constitutional concerns regarding freedom of the press in a democracy.
Key Points
- Reporting on public officials, religious matters, and protests are the most common reasons for criminal charges against journalists in India.
- The study found that journalists in smaller towns and regional media are disproportionately affected, with 40% of those covered being arrested.
- Criminal charges frequently invoked include those related to public tranquility, defamation, and offenses against public servants.
- This pattern of criminalization raises significant constitutional concerns regarding the freedom of the press.
Exam Facts
- Study title: "Pressing charges: a study of criminal cases against journalists across States in India"
- Co-authored by: National Law University (NLU), Delhi, TrialWatch, Human Rights Institute at Columbia Law School.
- Data period: 2012 to 2022.
- 40% of journalists in the dataset were arrested.
- Most common reason for charges: reporting on public officials (147 incidents).
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